About

Science and art are a powerful combination for expanding perspectives in healthcare. Non profit organisation Junction Care has gathered personal stories from individuals across Europe living with a hereditary bleeding disorder. These narratives give patients a voice, aim to inspire healthcare professionals to rethink how they engage with patients and serve as a source of knowledge for care, education and research. This project reflects how art and science together can bring a fresh perspective to women’s healthcare.

Junction Care as an organisation explores how imagination and dialogue can drive improvements in healthcare through workshops, talks, conversations, scientific research and tools (Read more).  

  • Junction Logo
  • Gelre Ziekenhuizen logo

This website features stories from women with a hereditary bleeding disorder, aimed at sharing experiences and improving care, with involvement from patients, scientists, and (future) healthcare professionals. The stories on this site were collected in a scientific research project after women responded to a call on LinkedIn. The participants all have different bleeding disorders, varying in severity and symptoms. The stories presented here are summaries of the original accounts. All participants have given permission for their stories to be shared anonymously and used for scientific research. The stories are preserved for ten years to ensure they remain useful in the future. For scientific collaboration, please contact us.

Not Just a Carrier

Artistic photo of a woman making herself small, sitting quietly in moss, representing vulnerability and seeking support in nature’s calm.
Close-up of a blue iris with detailed textures, symbolizing attentive observation and being truly seen.

Truly Listen to Me

Woman standing knee-deep in calm water, creating ripples that spread outward, symbolizing the impact of listening and communication.
Abstract desert landscape with layered textures and shadows, evoking the complexity of perspectives and silent voices.

Relief with a Clear Diagnosis

Woman swimming underwater in bright light, conveying freedom, relief, and the clarity that comes with diagnosis.
Close-up of delicate dandelion clocks ready to disperse, symbolizing lightness, release, and new beginnings.

It Controls my Whole Life

Abstract photo of a woman in a colorful dress blending with flowing water shapes, expressing the overwhelming and engulfing sensation of heavy bleeding.
Abstract yellow and blue landscape with fluid shapes, suggesting movement and the emotional impact of menstrual flow.

A Family Story

Two women holding hands gently against a bright white background, symbolizing support, solidarity, and connection.
Icelandic landscape showing multiple rivers converging and splitting, representing family ties, genetics, and the flow of inherited traits.

Break the Cycle of Silence

Dreamy blurry photo of a person running on a beach, evoking movement, breaking free, and ongoing cycles.
Vast ocean view with seamless horizon of water and sky, symbolizing continuity, connection, and expanding awareness.

The Shared Journey

Close-up of the back of a woman with soft focus, hinting at personal change and evolving healthcare journeys.
Abstract landscape in brown and teal tones with layered textures, resembling geological strata and the complex history of medical progress.

Take the Jump

Woman’s leg stepping on rocky terrain inside a cave, symbolizing courage and the first step in taking a leap forward despite risks.
Abstract white and green landscape shaped like a flowing river, representing movement, preparation, and the path ahead.

Noted as Normal

Back of a woman with light strips creating patterned lines, evoking layers of experience, growth, and the complexity of learning.
Reddish desert landscape with flowing curved lines, symbolizing a winding river and the journey of knowledge through time.

The Pulse of Discovery

Where stories and art bring new light to healthcare.

Woman’s leg stepping on rocky terrain inside a cave, symbolizing courage and the first step in taking a leap forward despite risks.
Woman swimming underwater in bright light, conveying freedom, relief, and the clarity that comes with diagnosis.
Dreamy blurry photo of a person running on a beach, evoking movement, breaking free, and ongoing cycles.
Abstract photo of a woman in a colorful dress blending with flowing water shapes, expressing the overwhelming and engulfing sensation of heavy bleeding.
Two women holding hands gently against a bright white background, symbolizing support, solidarity, and connection.
Back of a woman with light strips creating patterned lines, evoking layers of experience, growth, and the complexity of learning.
Woman standing knee-deep in calm water, creating ripples that spread outward, symbolizing the impact of listening and communication.
Artistic photo of a woman making herself small, sitting quietly in moss, representing vulnerability and seeking support in nature’s calm.

European Science and Stories about bleeding disorders

This project reflects how stories, art, and care can bring a fresh perspective to healthcare.

Read More
Junction Care

Not Just a Carrier

Truly Listen to Me

Relief Came with a Clear Diagnosis

It Controls my Whole Life

A Family Story

Break the Cycle of Silence

The Shared Journey Through von Willebrand Disease

Take the Jump to Move Forward

I Used to Think it Was Normal

Read Story
(3 min)

“I want to be part of the team - because I have the most at stake.”

Read Story
(4 min)

“I couldn’t keep up with my friends. I had to recover constantly.”

Read Story
(3 min)

I wasn’t even sad when I got the diagnosis. I was so relieved to be out of this loop with different kinds of GPs,” she recalls.

Read Story
(5 min)

“I was told, ‘It’s not a blood issue, just see a gynecologist to reduce your periods.’”

Read Story
(4 min)

If you have the diagnosis, if you know your Factor VIII levels, you can prepare. You can treat it properly, in time.”

Read Story
(5 min)

“You wonder - how much of this is my hormonal cycle? Why does no one connect the dots?”

Read Story
(4 min)

“Even today, the pill is often the first treatment offered for heavy periods. But we asked: shouldn’t underlying causes be ruled out first?”

Read Story
(5 min)

“Sometimes,” she says, “you have to take the jump to move forward. I could make that jump because I had support - even if it wasn’t perfect.”

Read Story
(5 min)

“Music and poetry help break the taboo. Women aren’t just ‘small men’ - our health deserves a different approach.”

  • Not Just a Carrier

    Close-up of a blue iris with detailed textures, symbolizing attentive observation and being truly seen.
    Artistic photo of a woman making herself small, sitting quietly in moss, representing vulnerability and seeking support in nature’s calm.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • Truly Listen to Me

    Abstract desert landscape with layered textures and shadows, evoking the complexity of perspectives and silent voices.
    Woman standing knee-deep in calm water, creating ripples that spread outward, symbolizing the impact of listening and communication.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • Relief With a Clear Diagnosis

    Close-up of delicate dandelion clocks ready to disperse, symbolizing lightness, release, and new beginnings.
    Woman swimming underwater in bright light, conveying freedom, relief, and the clarity that comes with diagnosis.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • It Controls my Whole Life

    Abstract yellow and blue landscape with fluid shapes, suggesting movement and the emotional impact of menstrual flow.
    Abstract photo of a woman in a colorful dress blending with flowing water shapes, expressing the overwhelming and engulfing sensation of heavy bleeding.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • A Family Story

    Icelandic landscape showing multiple rivers converging and splitting, representing family ties, genetics, and the flow of inherited traits.
    Two women holding hands gently against a bright white background, symbolizing support, solidarity, and connection.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • Break the Cycle of Silence

    Vast ocean view with seamless horizon of water and sky, symbolizing continuity, connection, and expanding awareness.
    Dreamy blurry photo of a person running on a beach, evoking movement, breaking free, and ongoing cycles.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • The Shared Journey Through

    Abstract landscape in brown and teal tones with layered textures, resembling geological strata and the complex history of medical progress.
    Close-up of the back of a woman with soft focus, hinting at personal change and evolving healthcare journeys.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • Take the Jump

    Abstract white and green landscape shaped like a flowing river, representing movement, preparation, and the path ahead.
    Woman’s leg stepping on rocky terrain inside a cave, symbolizing courage and the first step in taking a leap forward despite risks.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible tranquility, dreamed I went back in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)

  • I Used to Think it Was Normal

    Reddish desert landscape with flowing curved lines, symbolizing a winding river and the journey of knowledge through time.
    Back of a woman with light strips creating patterned lines, evoking layers of experience, growth, and the complexity of learning.
    Read Story
    (4 min)

    Good morning, Mom. Doc, you gotta help- I had a horrible nightmare, dreamed I went both in time, it was terrible....”

    Natalie (34)